yea and three National Councels from Pope Stephen in the yeere 250 i Bellar. de Ro. Pont. l. 2. c. 25. 46. Lindan panopl. l. 7. c. 89. Possevinus in Apparat. titul Carthag the Bishops of Carthage Schismatized from all Popes of Rome for an hundred yeres together about the yeere 409. lastly k Bellar. de Ro. Pont. l. 2. c. 31. Idem de Matri c. 15. art 2. the Greeke Church cut off from the Roman for 300. yeeres are sufficient testimonies there may be a true Church of God though seuered and diuided from the Pope of Rome And here in this kingdome it was no Protestant but Popish Bishops that concluded in a Nationall Synode l Institut of a Christian set foorth anno 1537. by Authority our King might if he pleased create a Pope of his owne in his own kingdoms and dominions and yet remaine a member of the Catholike Church Pap. Well the best is you haue beene so tedious in your answeres that I haue I thank God forgotten all that you haue said for your reformed Church Prot. But I will helpe that quickly by summing vp of all into these 12. Positions 1 We haue a Church as hauing Doctrine Saluation Discipline 2 It is a portion of the Catholique Church 3. It hath a Spirituall vnion of doctrine with the vntainted members of the Church of Rome 4 And yet hath seuered her selfe from the Church of Rome by crying against and dissenting from her Superstions 5 Which some of vs hold no true Church of Gods in regard of the preuailing Faction 6 Although we iudge charitably of the Saluation of some in that Church 7 Who notwithstanding are saued not as Papists but as Christians 8 And in one lumpe or communion with this Church liued ours before the Reformation 9 Which then for want of a Generall did seuer her selfe by a Nationall Councell from the same 10 Nor was it any by-respect of the Kings but God and the cry of that age that caused this reformation 11 Nor doe our reformed Churches dissent amongst themselues in doctrine but in outward politie and discipline onely 12 Our Bishops and Priests come by a lineall Succession from Henry the eights time nor can a supposall of Heresie cut off this descent CHAP. 2. Of the Scriptures Pap. DOe you then hold this Church of yours to bee the ground of your Faith and reason of your beleeuing So as you doe therefore beleeue all the points of your saluation to be true because the Church doeth teach and instruct you in the same Or haue you any other rule and ground of your faith Prot. The Authority and good conceipt we haue of Gods Church a August contra Epistol fundam c. 5. prepareth vs to beleeue the points of our Saluation and serueth as an introduction to bring vs to the discerning and perfect apprehension of these mysteries of our faith but the Scripture onely is the ground and reason of our beleeuing For as the b Iohn 4.29 Samaritans were induced and drawne on to beleeue in Christ by that talk of the woman but hauing heard Christ himselfe professe plainely they beleeue no longer for her saying but c Iohn 4.42 because they heard him speake himselfe So doe we beginne to beleeue moued thus to doe by the good conceipt we haue of the Church but rest not in it as the ground of our beleeuing but onely in the infallible assurance of Gods truth in the booke of Scriptures Pap. Then God helpe you if that be your last resolution For our Church cannot erre but your Scriptures without the helpe of the Church to tell you so much can neuer bee ascertained vnto you to be the word of God And therefore what assurednesse of beleefe can you propose your selues vpon so vnsetled a foundation Prot. The Catholike Church indeed Wald. doctr fid l. 2. art 2. c. 27. spread ouer the world cannot erre damnably though the Church of Rome and all other particula Churches may as your owne Writers confesse But the Scriptures wee know to be the word of God not because the Church or Churchmen doe tell vs so much but by the Authority of God himselfe a Caluin instit l. 1. c. 7. d. 4. whom we doe most certainely discerne to speake in his word when it is preached vnto vs. For if we bring pure eyes and perfect senses the maiestie of God forthwith presenteth it selfe vnto vs in the holy Scriptures and beating downe all thoughts of contradicting or doubting things so heauenly forceth our hearts to yeeld assent and obedience vnto the same And therefore if you doubt whether that which you reade in your Bible be the word of God or finde any reluctancy in your vnderstanding to the doctrine of the same it is in vaine to flie vnto either Church or Churchmen to be perswaded in this point but down vpon your knees and pray feruently vnto God for Faith and the illumination of the Holy Ghost which can only assure you of the trueth of the Scriptures Caluin instit l. 1. c. 7. dist 5. For after wee are enlightned by the Spirit we do no longer trust either our owne iudgement or the iudgement of other men or of the Church that the Scriptures are of God but aboue all certainety of humane iudgement wee most certainely resolue as if in them wee saw the maiestie and glory of God that by the ministerie of men they came vnto vs from Gods owne most sacred mouth Pap. But what certaine ground of faith can you place on the Scriptures seeing by the seuerall interpretations of men and women they are turned and wrested like a nose of wax to euerie priuate designe and purpose Doe not you obserue how the Catholikes Protestants and especiallie the Brownists and Anabaptists doe fit all their turnes out of the holie Scriptures on which of these senses and imaginations is your faith rooted or peraduenture haue you some odde capritchious kinde of interpretation of your owne apprehension to direct you in these businesses Prot. Wee lay-folkes are licensed in the Church of England to reade Doe all interprete 1. Cor. 12.30 but not to interprete Scriptures excepting onely those passages which containe the necessarie points of our Saluation the which passages are so plaine easie euery where that any man or woman of the meanest capacitie especiallie if he or she be instructed in their Catechisme or grounds of religion may perfectly conceiue Staplet cont 6. q. 7. exp si art and vnderstand them But for the harder and more difficult places we leaue them to be interpreted by our Church-men in their Sermons and dailie ministerie For the ordering of which interpretations there are as I haue beene told 10. seuerall helps Obserued out of D. Field M. Hooker Chemnitius and Trelcatius the which if they be followed wil be sure and vnfallible guides to bolt out the true meaning of each place of Scripture 1 An illumination of the vnderstanding by
learned Monarch the Lord of 3. Kingdomes woed and sought vnto by all the Catholike Princes palliate his religion in hope of a Bishoprick These are poore and toothlesse aspersions Then for our Ecclesiasticall estates they are so par'de and pol'de with duties and impositions all which had their Originall from the Court of Rome that the time of the charge of breeding vp a minister would raise him a better meanes then he hath in the Church in any other trade or trafficque whatsoeuer The King is gracious to his seruants of all professions But a Countrey Minister cannot inne for the haruest of a whole yeere what a Iesuite can get in an hours confession Lastly concerning these professors of pouerty the Priests and the Iesuites it is too well knowne they want no maintenance What by traducing our Nation abroad and seducing our people at home their bones are full of marrow and their eyes swell with fatnesse and what the Statute hath taken from vs cogging and cheating hath drawen vpon them I mean the priuie Tithes and Beneuolences of the Kingdome But to choke this Obiection in one word That our meanes is no cause to keepe vs in this profession witnes our Brethren in France and elsewhere who without the same means teach preach the selfe same doctrine Pap. They also inform vs that your Ministers haue neither learning nor honestie Prot. It is true indeede they teach their Nouices that the greatest Doctor in our Church doth not vnderstand the common grounds of Diuinity and must of * Britanno-Romanus pag. 19. necessity bee put to his A. B. C. againe But common reason can inform you whether this bee true or not Againe they are onely the base fugitiues and discontented runnagates of our own nation that spread these rumours who thinke their Countrie-men the grossest fooles in Christendome that they dare thus amuse them and lead them by the nose with such impossible assertions And therefore I will giue you a touch heere how other Papists haue ingeniously acknowledged the learning and piety of many Protestants * Aeneas Syluius de orig Bohem c. 35. Pope Pius commended Hus for learning and purity of life Alph. lib. 2. aduers haeres tit Ador. haer 2. Alphonsus de Castro Oecolampadius for all kinde of knowledge and the tongues especially * In annot in Tert. coron Militis In defens conc Trid. l. 1. p. 41. Rhenanus also Conradus Pellican as a man of a wonderfull sanctity and erudition Andradius likewise Chemnitius for a man of a sharpe wit and great iudgement Costerus all the Protestants for their ciuill behauiour their almes their building of hospitals and forbearing from reuiling swearing * Enchirid. c. 2. p. 101. De prohib l. 2. c. 13. Gretzer himselfe our ordinarie writers to bee for the most part of great learning 1 Recherches de la Fraunce pag. 910. 511. and iudgement Stephen Paschier held Caluin worthie set his opinions aside to be compared for zeale and learning to the chiefe Doctors of the Catholique Church 2 Lib. 11. epist 11. Epist Erasmus held Luther of that integritie of life that his very enemies had nothing to cast in his dish 3 Lindan l. 3. Strom. cap. 33. Lindanus acknowledged Melancthon to be adorned with all kind of learning In a word your Writers themselues did so applaud the persons of their aduersaries for learning and pietie that 4 Index expurg distinct 2. Pope Clement the 8. was faine to command all your Controuersie-writers to bee reuiewed and these graces and praises bestowed on our men to be blotted out and expunged And therefore when you next heare a Iesuite in this theme thinke vpon these true relations and withall laugh at him and pray for him Pap. Sir I haue receiued some satisfaction that matters are not so farre out of square in the Church of England as I haue beene informed But yet my conscience will not serue mee to come to your congregations because there are beside these triuiall many other points of doctrine neuer heard of amongst Protestants which be in very deed the Caballas and mysteries of the Romane-Catholique Religion You haue beene very tedious in your answeres and declarations I pray you therefore bestow the last Chapter vpon me to shew the reasons why so many Ladies and good Soules refuse to conforme themselues to the Church of England Prot. With all my heart I will therefore end my speach with the summing vp this fifth Chapter and leaue the euent to God and your Conscience 1. The meanes of our Churchmen are not so great as to make them maintaine a false religion but their religion is so true as it makes them contented with any meanes 2. Yet in other countries where no hope of preferment appeares there appeares an equall zeale of our Religion 3. Our Church-men are commended for their liues and learning by the pens of their prime aduersaries CHAP. 6. Reasons of refusall to leaue the Romish religion collected out of printed Authors Pap. I Cannot leaue my Religion I. Reason Because We must simply beleeue the Church of Rome whether it teach true or false Stapl. Antidot in Euang. Luc. 10.16 pag. 528. And if the Pope beleeue there is no life to come wee must beleeue it as an Article of our Faith Busgradus And we must not heare Protestant Preachers though they preach the Truth Rhem. vpon tit 3.10 Blasph And for your Scripture we litle weigh it For the Word of God if it bee not expounded as the Church of Rome will haue it is the word of the Diuell Hosius de expresso verbo Dei II. Reason You rely too much vpon the Gospel and S. Paules Epistles in your Religion whereas Blasph the Gospel is but a fable of Christ as Pope Leo the tenth tels vs. Apol. of H. Stephen fol. 358. Smeton contra Hamilton pag. 104. And the Pope can dispense against the New Testament Panormit extra de diuortiis And hee may checke when hee pleases the Epistles of S. Paul Carolus Ruinus Consil 109. num 1. volum 5. And controule any thing auouched by all the Apostles Rota in decis 1. num 3. in nouiss Anton. Maria in addit ad decis Rotae nou de Big n. 10. And there is an eternall Gospel to wit Blasph that of the holy Ghost which puts down Christs Cirellus a Carmelite set it foorth III. Reason You attribute all your Saluation to Faith in Christ alone Whereas He is the Sauiour of men onely but of no women Dial. of Diues and Pauper compl 6. cited by Rogers vpon the Artic. and Postellus in Iesuits Catech. l. 1. cap. 10. For women are saued by S. Clare Mother Iane. Som. in Morn de eccl cap. 9. Postellus in Iesuits Catech. lib. 8. cap. 10. Nay to speake properly S. Francis hath redeemed as many as are saued sithence his dayes Conformit of S. Fran. And the blood of S. Thomas a Becket Hor. Beat. Virg. And sometimes one man by his Satisfactions redeemes another Test Rhem. in Rom. 8.17 IV. Reason In your Church there is but one way to remission of sinnes which you call Faith in Christ but we haue many For we put away Our Venials with a litle holy water Test Rhem. in Rom. 8.17 Mortals by 1. Merits of the B. Virgine Hor. B. Virg. 2. The blood of Becket ib. 3. Agnos Dei or holy Lambes Cerem l. 1. t. 7. 4. Little parcels of the Gospel Breuiar 5. Becomming Franciscans confor l. 1. fol. 101. 6. A Bishops pardon for 40. dayes a Cardinals for a 100. daies and the Popes for eeuer Tak Camaer apud Espens in 1. ad Tim. V. Reason You stand too precisely vpon your Sacraments and require a true Faith in the partaker Whereas with vs To become a Monke or a Nunne is as good as the Sacrament of Baptisme Aquin. de ingres relig l. 2. c. 21. And the very true and reall body of Christ may bee deuoured of dogs hogges cattes and rattes Alex. Hales parte 4. q. 45. Thom. parte 3. q. 8. art 3. VI. Reason Then for your Ministers euery one is allowed to haue his wife or else enforced to liue chastly whereas with vs the Pope himselfe cannot dispense with a Priest to marrie no more then he can priuiledge him to take a purse Turianus found fault withall by Cassand Consult art 23. But whordome is allowed all the yeere long See Sparkes discouery pag. 13. constitut Othon de concubit cleric remouend Abhominable And another sinne for Iune Iuly August which you must not know of Allowed for this time by Sixtus Quartus to all the family of the Cardinall of S. Lucie vessel Grouingens tract de indulgent citat a Iacob Laurent Iesuit lib. pag. 196. vide Io. Wolfij lection memorab centen 15 p. 836. For indeed the wickednes of the Church-men is a prime argument of the worthinesse of the Roman Church Bellar. l. 4. de Rom. Pont. cap. 14. artic 28. And the Pope can make that righteous which is vnrighteous l. 1. Decretal Greg. tit 7. c. 5. And yet can no man say vnto him Sir why do you so In extrau tom 22. titul 5. c. ad Apostolatus VII and last Reason You in the Church of England haue cast off the Bishop of Rome Blasph whereas the Bishop of Rome is a God Dist. 96. c. Satis euidenter Panorm cap. Quanto Abbas FINIS
reward or punishment endlesse and eternall 8 That thou art a creature of an excellent worth and made to serue God 9 That thou hast no happinesse to the peace of Conscience 10 Thinke how good thy God hath bin vnto thee 11 Thinke of the Crosse and of Christ who there died for thee 12 Of examples of holy men and Saints who liued before thee Walke about your chamber a turne or two after your prayers and meditate vpon these points seriously and you shall finde that temptations to sinne will vanish away and leaue to assault you The 4. last things to bee first thought vpon by all good Christians Bern. Bonauent Dionys Carthus 1 The day of thy death thou knowest not how suddenly 2 The day of iudgement that will come certainely 3 The ioyes of heauen if thou liue religiously 4 The paines of hell if thou continuest to doe wickedly The end of Morning prayer Euening Prayer to bed-ward O Lord heare my prayer And let my cry come vnto thee Our Father which art c. A Prayer for Euening O LORD Carolâ—â— Paschal I doe confesse to my shame and confusion that this day hath beene spent by me with lesse puritie and pietie then it should haue bin I haue augmented sithence this morning the score of my sinnes My thoughts haue beene polluted my wit prophane and vnsanctified my tongue more rash and vnbridled then became any one of that rancke and calling wherein thou hast set me I haue sinned through idlenesse ignorance slouthfulnesse and malice And this darknesse of the night puts mee in minde of that eternall darknesse my sinnes haue deserued Pardon and forgiue me all my transgressions Let this darkenesse bee a fit time vnto mee of rest and sleepe and no opportunitie of snares and temptations Send thy holy Ghost into my heart to free and purifie the same from all rolling motions and suggestions of Sathan and from the vsuall terrours and affrightments of the night Preserue this house in safety O Lord and all the people that are therein Let my prayer ascend vp vnto thy presence as the incense and let this lifting vp of mine hands be as an Euening sacrifice through Iesus Christ our Lord and onely Sauiour Amen Another HAuing spent the day Viues wee betake our selues to our repose in the night So after the troubles of this present life wee shall rest our selues in death Nothing doth more resemble our life then the day our death then sleepe our graue then the bed and our resurrection then our awaking in the morning Doe thou then O God my protectour and defender preserue me in my sleepe from the incursions and temptations of the diuell and in my death from the guilt and punishments of my sinnes I haue no strength to resist in the one nor merits of mine owne to display in the other Looke only vpon the merits of my Lord and Sauiour and giue mee a strong and stedfast faith to apply his righteousnesse to mine owne soule In confidence and full assurance of whose satisfactions for all my sins I doe for this night lie mee downe in peace and take my rest for it is that Lord onely that maketh mee to continue in safetie Amen Another ALmighty G. Cass and euerlasting God who makest the light to succeed the darknesse giue mee the grace to spend this night freed from the snares of sinne and Sathan and to bee here againe vpon my knees in the morning to giue thee thankes for the same through Iesus Christ my Lord and onely Sauiour Amen MEDITATIONS When your mayd is getting you to bed Viues HEe that willingly goes to bed should as willingly goe to his graue We willingly put off our cloathes being to put them on againe in the morning and should as willingly put off our bodies beeing to put them on againe in the Resurrection 2 After the troubles of the day comes the quietnes of the night Viues in the which the King and the swaine differ nothing so after this life comes death where poore and rich are alike and equall 3 Here is a fit time especially layd in your bed to fall to your Audite for the day past The practise of the Kings Maiesty as I haue heard What euill you haue committed by 1. Swearing 2. Lying 3. Taunting 4. Beeing too angry 5. Vaine talking especially of Religion 6. Exceeding in fare or apparell 7. Iniuring of another Repent of it Detest it Resolue to doe it no more What good you haue omitted as Saying grace when you eate Praying Releeuing of a poore bodie Respecting your husband parents Spending some time vpon Meditations Works of charitie Desire Gods grace to be more warie What good you haue performed If you haue learned any thing that day If you haue done any man good that day If you haue kept your priuate and publike prayers that day If you haue giuen any almes that day If you haue heard the Word or receiued the Sacrament that day If you haue spent any time vpon your MeditatioÌ„s that day Reioyce in it and giue God thankes for it When you haue runne ouer these accompts and finde sleepe comming say Into thy hands I commit my Spirit for thou hast redeemed me O Lord thou God of truth Amen The end of Euening prayer Some other Collects For Faith MAn is blinded by sin Viues but thou O Christ by the goodnes and mercie of God the Father art become our guide in the way of saluation And yet such is our wretchednesse and miserie that we stagger for all this sometimes not vnderstanding sometimes not beleeuing many times not applying to our soules with a sure confidence thy promises of saluation set downe in the Gospell O miserably blind that we are that can neither see our selues nor beleeue our guider and instructer O thou eternall and pure veritie vouchsafe so to slide into our hearts that we may be more certainely perswaded of thee and thy Truth then of those things wee see with our eyes heare with our eares and handle with our handes the weake apprehensions of our bodily senses vpon which this flesh and blood doeth so much depend Appease and asswage those rolling thoughts and wandring motions of the flesh that make vs to doubt and stagger in those high mysteries of the which wee ought most firmely to bee fixed and resolued Faith is thy gift and therefore worke it by the holy Ghost in my heart that all my senses and imaginations may become slaues and captiues to the same Lord I beleeue helpe thou mine vnbeleefe O Lord increase my faith Amen MEDITATION Viues 1 How easily wee beleeue a lewd and lying man and yet how scrupulous we are to beleeue God himselfe 2 We beleeue a man in things which nothing concerne vs we beleeue not God in matters of our saluation Man is impotent God omnipotent 3 We beleeue our senses which often delude vs as in all trickes of Legeyr-demaine we distrust Christ who can